I'm Officially a Grad Student

Well, not quite, I still have to finish up this year... but I've been accepted to the Social Work Master's program.
And now the downside: I didn't get in the Advanced Standing Program. At first I was very, very angry about this. Apparently one of my letters of recommendation (and I know which one!) didn't recommend me highly enough. Probably the worst part of all of this is I have class with this prof for another six weeks. I'm planning on restraining myself, though. I won't be lashing out anytime soon.
The problem he had with me is one that I've had in a few high school classes as well: I get bored. I like classes to be hard and I like them to be worth my while. This evening class is neither of these things. Therefore, I appear cocky and I come across as a slacker who doesn't care for authority. Well, I can't change that now.
I'm not so angry anymore. I was driving to pick up Kevin from work, and it was a beautiful day, and Sparty was sticking his head out the window and looking adorable.
I am very blessed. I have a wonderful, amazing fiance. I love my Spartacus. I'm slowly seeming to begin to manage my lupus with exercise and I plan to reduce my medication soon. I do have to put my life on hold for a bit longer- we can't move or have kids until I finish working for CPS to pay off my stipend. But I'll be in my nephew's lives for the important years that they will remember and until we can have kids, my Sparty-baby will do. I've even decided to look for part time work as a social worker while I'm doing the two-year program.
So, this is Zen-Kara. I have my once a month Saturday class and then I'm off to Spokane- where I'll be getting some much needed family time, especially with my sister.
Just in case any of this depressed you, here's a picture of my baby:
I'll be seeing some of you soon!

Dinner with Bonnie and Jerry

While Bonnie and Jerry were out adventuring they decided to swing past the Sacramento/Folsom area to have dinner with us tonight. We met at Pizzeria Classico in Old Folsom for the delicious family special. One pizza, their "garlic chips", and a salad with some delicious balsamic vinaigrette.
Needless to say, we were off our low carb diet for the evening.
When I first moved down here I loved not seeing any familiar faces in the crowd. It made moviing even more of an adventure... plus I was tired of running into people from high school (you know the type, the ones who excitedly say hi to you and you guys weren't even friends...). But everyonce in awhile it's so nice to see a familiar face, and even better if it's family.

I love you Jerry and Bonnie, thanks for making it to see us!
(And thank you for the delicious honey!)

Still no word.

I've been waiting and waiting to hear back from the Master's of Social Work program. Since I'm an Advanced Standing (a 1 year, more rigorous program) applicant, I'm supposed to hear back within a week if I get into that.

This whole application process has been a headache. It was extremely difficult for me to find letters of recommendation. One professor, who I was actually quite close with last year- was having trouble with his email and never got my request. Another said she would be thrilled to write on my behalf- then gave me a less-than-glowing recommendation, saying that I was absent from class a lot due to my lupus, and hopefully that won't stand in the way of getting my MSW. One professor who had to write for me as part of the requirements isn't exactly my best buddy after one minor incident where I decided to skip the second part of a class in protest of a 30 minute break in the middle of a class that goes until 9:20 pm (why not let us out early?). I think he thinks I'm cocky (I am) so who knows what he wrote. Anyway, it was disastrous.

Head explosion, one of the more PG pics I could find.

But, I do have a pretty darn high GPA (3.95 at Sac State, I think that's all they look at), so my hopes are still up.
I know I'll get into grad school, but it's the Advanced Standing program that is the real deal. Instead of having to wait 2 years to think about moving on with our lives it would be 4 if I didn't get in (I'll be getting my degree with a stipend, so I have to work for the county for the number of years they paid for my school). Two extra years is a lot of time.

So, sometime this week I'll be hearing back, and then no more head explosions... at least about this. I mean, there is still school and the wedding... and then my thesis...
...I digress.
I'll keep you posted!

DIY Madness

I'm in need of a root canal and can't focus on schoolwork until my pain meds kick in. So I'm watching "Who's wedding is it anyway?" and thought I would blog about all my projects.
As I have mentioned many times before on Facebook- future brides should not be allowed into Michaels alone. Someone needs to go with them to make sure they don't spend a hundred dollars in one go.
But, when you're me and you're trying to save money while working within the confines of a picky reception venue (and you wouldn't mind if you stepped into your venue and went "oooooh, pretty!") then that means you're destined to take matters into your own hands.
The first act of craziness was our save the dates. Easy, no problem.
Then we thought, hey, that was easy, why not do our invitations, too?
Yeah, those were headaches, but they turned out beautifully. Similar invites made by someone else would have cost us an arm and a leg. My only regret is not putting a little number on the back of each RSVP card for those people who forget to write their names on the envelope.
Next, do we all remember my cake? This required me to purchase all of the cake circles, cake pans, supports for inside the cake, and of course, the stuff to make cake with.
Well, here's the rest of my DIY madness.
This is a shot of my main centerpieces, but I felt like something was missing. Due to the cost of flowers and the fact that I'm only allowed floating candles or oil candles, it really limited my options.
Thank God I got talked out of doing the centerpieces myself. :) Anywho, I can't have the tea lights around the bottom. I always pictured my reception having a ton of candles to make really romantic lighting. Plus we're using white tableclothes and dark purple napkins, so I would like to add a bit more color to the tables.
Inspired by one of my favorite wedding blogs, Weddingbee, I came up with this idea.
Inside is an LED tealight, which I found for about 40 cents each. Not bad. It will add color, texture, and the ambiant lighting that I'm going for. And- it's just thread and fabric stiffener. Cheap!
Next project will be something I may not use, a flower curtain to hang behind the arch at the ceremony. Since this will be a five dollar project, I'm not too worried if I end up hating it or if it's too windy to hang them on the big day.
I think it would add just a little bit of something extra to the ceremony. There will be no flowers or anything, just a trail of rose petals leading me down the aisle. We'll see.
Next project: (Do you think I'm nuts yet?) Table numbers. Since Spartacus can't come be Kevin's Best Dog we're doing a Boston Terrier cake topper and these great table numbers:
Of course, the labs will be gone and replaced with Spartacus mug shots.
One of the last things: programs/fans. Rather than making fan programs, which would be a lot of work, I'll be printing off the programs and attaching them to purchased fans instead.
I'm hoping those will fit into a basket. If not, they're going on the chairs.
Whew, I'm getting tired just typing all this out. There's also bird seed toss bags:
As well as a basket to put them in.
Table cards to let people know which table they're supposed to sit at.
Maybe a sign to let people know that they need to walk around the side of the house to get to the backyard.
And our thank you postcards, which should be completed in the next couple weeks. Inspired by something similar to this I saw in a Martha magazine.
Some people use their wedding photos, but then you have to wait for the wedding pictures to come in, which could take forever, and with my shower being just a few weeks away, I'm going to need them sooner than that.
I think that's everything, though I probably forgot something. :) Typing it all out makes it seem less scary... even *gasp!* manageable!
Of course, I will be assisted A LOT by Kayla, Cassie, and Elisha, three super fabulous bridesmaids. So, Francie, I'm talking to you- stop worrying that I'm doing too much! ;)
Hope everyone is doing better than my face is doing. Ouch.

Kheema-Spiced Ground Beef

As some of you know, we plan our menu each week which makes for easy grocery shopping and none of that "crap, what's for dinner?" talk.
We made the menu today and contemplated what would be a good meal before we go to my friend Michael's party tonight.Nothing prepares you for a party later in the evening like a nice, beefy meal such as Kheema spiced beef.
I thought I would share with you one of our new favorite recipes that is diet-friendly. We've had it twice in the past week and a half. The recipe is for six, but we've cut it in half for just me and Kev.
To begin, heat 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil over high heat. Add one bay leaf and one cinnamon stick and let it infuse the oil. When the bay leaf darkens, you're good.
Reduce heat to medium. Add 3 cloves of garlic, 1 tablespoon of grated ginger (I didn't cut this in half, I love ginger) and about 3/4 cup of finely chopped onion. Saute until onions turn golden.
Next, add 1/2 tablespoon each of coriander and cumin, and 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric. Cook for two minutes. Then add 1/2 tablespoon of tomato paste.
After getting the tomato all mixed in with the onions, add one pound of ground beef. Brown and break it up with your spoon as you go. Add 1/2 cup of water and 1/8 teaspoon each of nutmeg and mace, adding salt and cayenne to taste. Cover and simmer on low for an hour.
Stir it every once in awhile, and if the water ever gets low, add a bit more. Go work on t-shirts for the British themed party.
After about an hour, when most of the liquid has simmered off, it's time for a feast. Grab your cute, clever plate you got at World Market.
Pile on the beef, top with chopped avocado and tomato. Some cilantro would be nice too, but Kevin's not a fan.
Enjoy! I can't believe this is diet food. Delicious.
Happy eating!

Wedding cake trial: Day 2

To begin today's process I made the two fillings I needed to have made- pineapple and lemon curd. I realize now that I didn't take photos of them. Nuts. Take my word on it- they were gorgeous and delicious. Many of you will taste the fillings in a few months anyways.
Next I made the frosting.
How in GOD'S name did I do this before my kitchenaid? Oh, yes, I remember now. I must have killed at least two hand mixers. Four pounds of powdered sugar later the buttercream was finished.
Then I needed to make the cakes all level and the same size. Behold on of my favorite baking tools and one of the key tools of the trade:
It's a saw. A cake saw. Yeah, it's awesome, you don't have to tell me, I'm aware. Cutting off all the tops of the cake made lots of scraps, which we threw away. Honesty- we had enough cake.
First I frosted all of the tiers with a thin layer of buttercream just to get the crumbs contained. My thinking behind this was that I would later add another layer and then press on the coconut. More on this later...
Next I stacked the tiers. No pictures of this process as it was the one thing I had never done before so I was concentrating. But here is the finished product:

Next I used this little dude, my "caulking gun" if you will.I used this to fill in all the spaces where the cardboard was, as well as any problem areas. Then I used my trusty spatula to add another layer, which was harder than I anticipated.
Finally, I added the coconut. I used the "good" stuff (read: namebrand) on the outside as it's a bit more moist than store brand. It turned out soft looking and lovely, as I anticipated.
It was perfect. The dining room table was not.
That was after picking up a bit, too.
So, things I learned this time.
1.) Next time I'm going to just do a thick crumb layer and press the coconut on immediately. I think this will prevent the cake from looking lumpy because it is very hard to get it smooth right off the bat. Plus, then when you take the tiers apart there will be coconut on each tier's top.
2.) the bottom tier is heavy.
3.) Related to number two: I need a more serious off-set spatula. You're supposed to use it to set the cake down, but mine was really flimsy which resulted in fingerprints in the cake. Oh well.
4.) This was a lot of work, I'm really looking forward to having my sister help me.
All in all- not bad. I'm feeling pretty confident. It will look much better with some fresh flowers or berries on it or something. Yay for me! Now to pawn off the leftovers onto everyone!

Wedding cake trail: Day 1

Behold my Martha Stewart cake inspiration:
It's classy, beautiful, and looks delicious. And I'll be making one just like it (my own recipe though).
Yes, that's right, I am baking and decorating my own wedding cake. Before I get to the the nitty gritty of how it went today, I thought I would answer a few frequently asked questions.
Q: Are you crazy?!
A: No, I'm not, thanks for asking though.
Q: Why are you doing your own cake, then?
A: Several reasons. To begin, even accounting for supplies (cake circles, pans, ingredients, etc) and my cake trial, I am saving approximately 300 bucks by doing my own cake. Also, I don't like fondant and I'm picky about my buttercream. Lastly, and I don't mean to toot my own horn or anything, but I am a rather good baker, so I know my cake will be delish.
Q: So what flavor are you going with?
A: The cake will be a four-tiered coconut cake. There will be three flavors of fillings: raspberry, lemon curd, and pineapple. It will be frosted in a lemon buttercream frosting.
Q: Are you getting any help?
A: Of course! My wonderful sister and Matron of Honor, Kayla is going to help me with the process.

Now, on to how it went today during the baking process...
I was a bit nervous about the entire process. I've done cute little cakes before and my brother's groom's cake but never a four-tiered monstrosity.
...which is why I accidentally doubled the amount of baking soda in the first batch.
Darn. Notice the big ol' sink in the middle of it? Not off to a great start. Oh well, that tier will just be a bit smaller than the others.
This is where it gets a bit trickier. For three tiers I needed to multiply the recipe by approximately 3.25. I rounded up to 3.5 for the sake of adding one tiny little top tier to save for our first anniversary. However, you can't multiply one egg by .5.
Due to logistics, what I did was multiply the recipe by two in order to fill one twelve inch pan and one six inch pan, then my little bitty springform. This of course made more batter than was needed and I added a bit too much in the first batch. It took forever to bake and the top got a bit dark- but that part will be shaved off when I make the tiers equal heights anyway.
The third batch I did the same thing- until I noticed that somewhere in my calculations I didn't factor in all the butter I needed- I was one stick short. So I used margarine- which, in my mind, is one of the hugest sins of baking. This batch turned out pretty darn good, though!
A bit of a sink, but nothing I can't handle. Four hours after I began, I was finished baking. Yay!
My kitchen was destroyed.
It doesn't look too bad, but believe me- coconut and flour everywhere.
So here is what I learned/took note of during part one of my trial run:
1.) PAY ATTENTION TO MEASURING... sheesh, adding an extra teaspoon of baking soda... what was I thinking?
2.) Try to get the pans filled equally- mark the sides of the the 9 inch pans, then mark the same way up on the others.
3.) I am a bit worried about mixing the cake up in Spokane. Due to my HUGE kitchenaid mixer, I was able to double the recipe but still keep it in the bowl.
...barely. I know most people don't own the huge one... so I might have to use a hand mixer and Mama's large yellow bowl instead.
4.) Measuring out the ingredients before you begin mixing is a huge time saver. While one batch was in the oven I was able to clean the mixing bowl, separate the eggs, sift the drys, and measure out the rest of the ingredients in bowls/measuring cups. I think that's why this took me 4 hours instead of 8.
5.) Put Spartacus in his kennel while baking- though I don't think this will be a problem when I'm cooking the real thing up in Spokane. :)
Stay tuned for tomorrow's post, I'll be making the fillings, adding the crumb coat layer of frosting, and hopefully assembling and decorating!

Cioppino

I am in love with a soup.
Not only is it freaking delicious, but you can tailor the soup to your economic means! Use any type of seafood you like.
The recipe is super duper simple... plus, it's low carb! Who said diets have to suck?
More when I have something important to talk about... but I have been receiving many of your RSVPs in the mail. Just a little reminder: either write a return address on your envelope OR write your names on the back of the card. It's very difficult (and frustrating) to get back an RSVP for 2 but have no idea who it's from!
Love you all!